New instruments for growth and competitiveness of Italian companies in global markets. Guest speaker in Milan Fabio Gallia, CEO of CDP
417 billion euros in exports in 2016 and an over 51 bn. Trade surplus: these are just some of the results set out in the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) Report for 2016-2017 “Italy in the international economy”, a study drawn up by the Italian Trade Agency based on Istat data, presented in Milan in the presence of the MAECI Director General for the promotion of the Country System Vincenzo De Luca, the President of ITA Michele Scannavini and the President of ISTAT Giorgio Alleva. After a negative period, the market share of Italian exports has recovered somewhat in recent years, helped by structural changes in demand, increasingly interested in Made in Italy. Mechanical engineering remains the top exporter (76 billion euros), but other sectors also performed well, including pharmaceuticals (up 6.8% on 2016) and transport vehicles (up 5.4% on 2016).
Furthermore, Italy seems increasingly involved in the introduction of Industry 4.0. Progress in artificial intelligence, robotics, additives and the Internet of things has broken down the barriers between the conventional and digital economies. The digital revolution is transforming production methods and the structure of markets, introducing formidable challenges and opportunities not yet fully accepted by Italian companies. The guest speaker at the event was the CEO of CDP Fabio Gallia, who illustrated the commitment of CDP Group in promoting the economic system: pursuant to the Industrial Plan drawn up in 2015, by 2020 160 billion euros will be made available, including 117 bn. for business and internationalization. Special attention was paid to SMEs: during the Roadshow on internationalization ITA, SACE and SIMEST met over 7000 companies working in Italy, and told them what products and solutions are available to SMEs to boost Made in Italy in foreign markets. The aim is to enhance the competitiveness of the system by providing companies with new technological and commercial skills and to reach the economic size that is suitable for the current global scenario. #wepromotethefuture